Please, Please, Forgive Me
by DownInTheDirt
Summary: Ted Tonks has to leave his wife and daughter to go into hiding. But little does he know that leaving his wife could be one of the hardest things he's ever had to do. Rated M. One-Shot. Reviews welcome as usual!


**Author's Note - I have a new story for you my friends! And this one is probably my favourite. I thought of it last week, but because I've been busy, you know, sleepovers, theme parks, that sort of thing, I've only just written it. I own nothing as per usual, and my name is certainly not Jo Rowling. Please Enjoy!**

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The evening before Ted Tonks had to go into hiding was probably one of the hardest evenings of his life. He had never wanted to leave, of course. He never wanted to leave his wife and daughter, he didn't want to leave them terrified that he may never come home; but he had no other choice. From his perspective, he had two options; stay and put his wife and child in potentially fatal danger, or leave and give them a better chance of living a longer and happier life. He also wanted to show those Death Eater bastards at the Ministry that he had not let them win; that he was making a stand, fighting for what was right. The Muggle Born Registration Commission was wrong; it was being used to label muggle borns as thieving lowlifes, when Ted knew that he was anything but. Ted was reminded unpleasantly of Andromeda's family when he was told of this change at the Ministry; he wouldn't have been surprised if one of the Blacks had thought it up years ago and it had only just come into effect. But the underlying statement that Ted was really trying to make was – prejudice against muggle borns had gotten to an all time low.

There had been awkward silences on and off throughout the day. Ted had said goodbye to Dora before she went to an Order meeting that she had insisted on skipping so that she could be with her family, but Ted had told her firmly that he and Andromeda would be fine on their own, and that a meeting with the Order was much more important than staying with them.

Parting with his daughter was a fairly easy, though it wasn't an enjoyable experience. He knew that Dora was soon going to be too busy to miss him at all, and he felt thankful for that; he didn't want her to be missing him too much. They had hugged and kissed and Ted had told Dora jokingly that the baby had better be a boy. It wasn't overly pleasant, but it was quick. Over and done with.

Parting with his wife, however, was going to be a whole different story. He watched Andromeda sort through clothes that he was going to be taking with him; he hadn't had a part in this task yet, but what really bothered Ted was that his wife had not looked at him for the whole time that they had been together in their bedroom, surrounded by clothes.

"Socks, jumpers, spare underwear…" Andromeda recited to herself, rather than to Ted. She packed these things into Ted's rucksack, with her back to him. Ted strongly suspected that she was trying not to look at him because if she did, she would begin crying. "Which pair of jeans do you want to take? The light blue pair, or the dark? Actually, you could take both if I use a charm to-"

"Dromeda…" Ted interrupted her. "I asked you to help me, not do it for me."

"I am not doing it for you!" Andromeda snapped at him, cramming the lighter blue pair of jeans into the rucksack. "I just asked for your opinion on jeans, didn't I!?" Her voice shook slightly. Ted merely sighed.

"Fine. I'll just stand here arguing with you and watching your back for another couple of hours, shall I!?" He replied, instantly regretting his bitter tone of voice. He could usually control his temper reasonably well. He was surprised that he'd snapped; he supposed the reason was nerves. Andromeda stopped shoving items into the bag that was already too full and buried her face in her hands, letting out a small sob. Ted hesitantly walked up behind her and gently took her arm, pulling her into a hug. Andromeda buried her face into his broad shoulder, beginning to break down. Ted, relieved that she didn't pull away, held her close and stroked her hair.

"Shh…I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to snap." Andromeda tightened her arms around him; he was obviously forgiven.

"You can't go." She mumbled into his shoulder. Ted pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head.

"We've talked about this, Dromeda. I have no other choice. And as I've already told you, if I stay here you and Dora will be in more danger. I can't do that to you both. I love you too much." Ted led her to sit on the bed and gathered his wife in his arms again. He had always known that the prospect of him leaving was upsetting Andromeda. She was facing her worst nightmare; she was losing her soul mate, maybe forever. She was losing her reason for her exile from the Blacks; she and Ted had been through a lot together, now he was being harshly taken from her.

"But that's not the only reason why you're leaving, is it, Ted?" Andromeda whispered, silent tears falling down her cheeks.

"That's ninety nine percent of the reason and you know that." Ted said truthfully. "But it's also a matter of pride, honey." He ignored her as she made a 'hmph' noise at him. "And I know it sounds selfish, but I'm not trying to be selfish. I just want to show those pure bloods that I'm not going to lie down and let them treat me like shit because I'm a muggle born. Dirk feels the same way-"

"Dirk?"

"Cresswell, you've only met him once. But we're not letting those Ministry idiots put our names on that piece of parchment. That just labels us, Dromeda. It labels us as 'mudbloods'. Other muggle borns may let them do it, but I am not." Andromeda sighed.

"But your place is here, with me, with Dora and her unborn child."

"Haven't you been listening?" Ted was starting to get frustrated. "I can't stay! Do you have any idea how many people want me dead? Bellatrix being at the top of that list, Andromeda! She's wanted me dead for more than twenty seven years, and if she kills me I'd rather that I'm away from you when she does." Andromeda moved away from him and laid down on the bed with her back to him.

"But I need you…" She said shakily, still letting her tears fall. Ted lay next to her, kissing her neck softly.

"I need you more, honey. Believe me. Which is why I'm leaving, to keep you safe, and if I have to I'll kick some Death Eater ass, as long as you and Dora are alive at the end of this war, I don't care. I don't care what happens to me. You understand that, don't you?" Andromeda turned to face him.

"I love you." She whispered and kissed his lips softly. As he kissed her back, it suddenly dawned on him that this may be his last night with Andromeda; if he was killed, he would never see her again.

Ted pushed this thought aside as he and Andromeda kissed passionately, fumbling with each others clothing. Ted felt as though they were seventeen again, younger and carefree. Being with Andromeda made him feel light, it always had. Touching her and holding her almost made him forget that he would have to leave her. Almost.

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They lay in each other's arms, both comfortable in each others company. Ted turned slightly in the dark to look at the alarm clock on his bedside table. 2.01am. In five hours or so, Ted would be in some field in the middle of nowhere, wondering what the hell to do next and wondering where to get his next meal. The problem that Ted found with himself is that he rarely thought of plans that would work for long term; then again, he had never had to go into hiding before.

Andromeda's head rested trustingly on his chest, awake or asleep, it was impossible to tell. But Ted had a burning question that he desperately needed to ask her.

"Dromeda?" He said softly. "You awake?"

"Yes." He heard her reply, in the darkness.

"I need to ask you something. And you need to answer honestly." He waited to receive an answer; he didn't, so he went on. "If I'm killed, will you be okay without me?" The question wasn't meant to come out as childishly as it did. He heard Andromeda sniff and assumed that she was crying again.

"Ted, how could you ever ask me that?" Andromeda replied, her voice high pitched with the tears that she couldn't quite hold back. Ted felt her tears hit his bare chest liked bullets.

"Dromeda, please. I need to know." He sighed. There was a pause, a pause that seemed to last hours, before Andromeda finally answered.

"I suppose I'll have to be, won't I? I'll have to be okay for Dora and our grandchild. But you won't die, I won't let it happen." Ted was unconscious of the tears falling down his own cheeks and into his wife's hair.

"Thanks honey."

He held her close and stroked her hair as she drifted off to sleep. He lay awake for a long time, just holding her. He wanted this to last forever, he couldn't bear leaving her, and he couldn't bear the thought of never seeing her again. He needed her like a plant needed sunshine. Without her he would wilt.

It was 5.47am when he next looked at the alarm clock. Andromeda was still sound asleep in his arms. Carefully, he eased her out of their embrace and slid out of bed, so he wouldn't wake her. He dressed in the clothes that were on the floor from the previous night.

He knew that Andromeda would probably hate him for not waking her to say goodbye. But she looked so peaceful. And at any rate, he would find leaving the house unnoticed a lot easier to cope with, rather than a tearful and heartbreaking goodbye.

He scribbled a note on a piece of parchment (it wasn't a long note. Merlin knows he couldn't find the words to write) and placed it on the pillow beside her head. He leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, he tried to ignore the tears building in his eyes. He had been right, this was hard.

"Forgive me, Dromeda." He whispered and covered her with the blanket that was only covering her bare body from the waist down.

Picking up his rucksack, he turned his back on her and walked down the stairs. He purposely ignored the family photos; they would make it harder for him to leave. The memories would make him want to stay, and he knew that he couldn't do that.

When he got outside he was aware of the warm, wet tears leaving his eyes and falling to the ground. He took a deep breath to steady himself before disapparating in the early morning light.

And Andromeda would wake hours later to find herself alone, Ted's rucksack gone and a note on her pillow that read _'I love you'._

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**Author's Note - Well there you have it. I had a lot of ups and downs with it! At first I didn't like it, so re wrote it, then changed it a bit, then I finally got it right. So this one was a stubborn so and so! I just hope you like it, it turned out to be the best I've ever written I think. Please review! I have a new idea up my sleeve so another story is on the way soon! **


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